NFL Week 15 Picks: Underdogs That Will Shock Favorites

Underdogs are a bettor's best friend, and their worst enemy. This is because you just never know whether underdogs are going to give you a high five or stab you in the back.

Sometimes they even do both.

Either way, you obviously have to be careful when it comes to picking underdogs, especially in the NFL. Sometimes you get lucky, but you're just as likely to get burned.

With those words of warning out of the way, there are some underdogs that I like in Week 15. Not all of them are going to win outright, but they'll do you proud if you pick them one way or the other.

Note: all spreads according to Bodog.

Dallas Cowboys (-7) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have done nothing in recent weeks to prove that they are worth a bet. They've been awful in just about every aspect of the game, and have been beaten by good and bad opponents alike.

So why should you trust them against the Cowboys?

Because the Cowboys aren't very reliable in their own right. They have a great team on paper and they occasionally look great out on the field, but they're a classic example of a team that is not as good as the sum of its parts. 

The Cowboys are particularly unreliable when they play on the road. They're 2-4 on the road this season, and the the two games they won both came on overtime field goals.

I'm thinking the Cowboys will win, and I think they'll win in regulation, but they're not going to run away and hide with this game. They're not that good, especially not on the road.

Cowboys 21, Buccaneers 17

Washington Redskins at New York Giants (-7)

The Giants were able to steal a win against the Cowboys on Sunday night, so now everyone thinks they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

How soon they forget. If the Cowboys hadn't handed the Giants the game on Sunday night, the Giants would enter their home tilt against the Redskins on a five-game losing streak. No doubt the spread would have looked much different. 

As for the Redskins, there's no denying they're a pretty awful team. However, they have shown signs of life in the last couple weeks, and against some pretty good teams at that. They're not winning, but they're not going down without a fight either.

You can expect to see two things in this game. First and foremost, you can expect the Giants to come back down to earth a little bit. You can also expect the Redskins look like the better team in the early goings.

The Giants are going to need a comeback to win this one.

Giants 27, Redskins 23

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears (-3.5)

Given how badly the Bears have been crippled by injuries, they really have no business being favored against anyone.

Besides, the Seahawks have been playing some pretty good football in recent weeks. They've won four out of their last five games, a couple of them in dominating fashion. Their defense has played very well, and Marshawn Lynch has been on an absolute tear.

What has to concern you with the Bears' outlook for this game is how they're going to generate any kind of offense. Caleb Hanie has been next to useless in place of Jay Cutler, and Marion Barber had a very bad week in place of Matt Forte in Week 14. 

It's no accident the Bears have scored a grand total of 13 points in the last two weeks. They really are that bad without their two star players.

Seahawks 24, Bears 10

New England Patriots (-7) at Denver Broncos

This is it. The big one. Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow. Good vs. Holy.

Or something like that. Whatever it is, it's going to be a great game.

The key in this game will be how Denver's defense fares against Brady and the Patriots' offense. The edge would seem to lie with Brady and friends, but this is not the case. Denver's defense has been playing outstanding football in recent weeks, which is the key reason why Tebow has been able to pull out so many late wins.

As far as how Tebow will fare in this game, keep in mind that he'll be going up against a Patriots' defense that is, for the most part, pretty awful. Tebow has demonstrated during the Broncos' hot streak that he can pick apart bad defenses, so we're probably not going to have to wait until the fourth quarter for him to show us something.

If so, I daresay the Broncos have the edge in this one. Sit back and watch the legend of Tebow grow.

Broncos 28, Patriots 24